Teddies on a Rainbow

Children’s ideas shape the day at Teddies on a Rainbow, where a Reggio Emilia inspired approach gives their interests room to develop. Heathervale Park provides both the setting and an outdoor resource. This is a nursery for children from two years to school age, with capacity for 25 children in total.

At its June 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding and found excellent progress, including for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those receiving additional funding. That is a strong dated assessment of how effectively the nursery supported children with different starting points.

Care runs during term time. For parents, the educational approach and park setting deserve attention alongside the practical fit of the nursery calendar.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage provides the framework for learning, covering children’s language, physical development, relationships, early literacy and mathematics, creativity and understanding of the world. Activities are planned over the term, week and day, with individual interests helping to shape what children explore.

Reggio Emilia adds an emphasis on listening to children, respecting their ideas and developing learning from what already interests them. Children’s interests inform activities planned over the term, week and day.

In June 2023, slime-making illustrated this approach. Children chose ingredients, explored changes in texture and decided what to try next; staff encouraged them to think ahead about the result they wanted. A messy activity became an opportunity to describe, predict and make decisions. The adult contribution extended the play rather than taking over the task.

Choice also had a social dimension in June 2023. Children voted on decisions such as the coloured sand to use in a light box. They practised expressing a preference and accepting a group decision when another option won. That gives everyday play a useful role in learning how to share decisions.

Outdoor and Community Life

Heathervale Park is used as part of the nursery’s environment, giving outdoor learning a setting beyond the indoor activity space. Its value here is practical: children’s surroundings can become material for conversation and exploration.

In June 2023, a daily walk and talk session used the local park to stimulate conversation, with staff modelling language. Children also voted on which route to take. Outdoor activity therefore brought together communication, choice and cooperation, rather than serving only as a break between indoor activities.

Relationships and Communication

Weekly observations feed into each child’s individual profile, helping practitioners identify the next steps in learning and share them with parents. This connects the activity a child enjoys with the development staff are following. Families can understand the purpose behind the play, as well as hear what their child has done.

In June 2023, progress folders went home each half term, and children could have as many settling sessions as they needed before beginning full-time attendance. The emphasis was on the individual child’s readiness. For families managing a first separation, that dated example gives a concrete picture of how settling was approached.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Special Educational Needs Coordinator role sits within the team, alongside designated safeguarding lead and deputy roles and paediatric first aid training. These provide identifiable responsibilities for support and safety arrangements.

At the June 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged safeguarding effective, with staff understanding reporting responsibilities and supervising children appropriately. In June 2023, staff also discussed safety rules with children during walks and helped them work through frustration when a task went wrong. The emphasis was on helping children understand a problem and find a solution, building independence alongside adult support.

Teddies on a Rainbow operates at Heathervale Park, New Haw, KT15 3AP. The park setting includes access to car parking. Enquiries can be made by telephone or email through the nursery’s contact details.

Sessions and Attendance

Opening hours are 08:15 to 16:00, Monday to Friday, during term time, with closure in school holidays. This calendar is a central consideration for working families: care outside term dates needs its own arrangement.

Funding and Paid Extras

In June 2023, the nursery received free early education funding for children aged two, three and four. This is a dated account of participation rather than a promise of an individual funded place. Families should obtain a current written quotation for prices.

• Term-time calendar. School-holiday closures make the nursery’s calendar an essential part of the decision. Compare the term dates with your working commitments.
• Address details. The nursery’s contact address uses KT15 3AN, while its address for this setting is KT15 3AP. Confirm the postcode when arranging a visit to Heathervale Park.
• Attendance and funding. At a visit, which booking pattern and funded-hours arrangement would apply to your child, including any meals or consumables charges?

Teddies on a Rainbow suits families seeking term-time care from two years to school age, with children’s interests shaping activities and Heathervale Park contributing to outdoor learning. Its strongest practical combination is child-led exploration, individual progress profiles and an educational day connected to the park. The June 2023 Outstanding judgement gives substantial weight to that offer, while the school-holiday calendar remains a decisive part of whether it fits family life.